A long time ago, in an ancient land now lost to civilization, there was a band of mighty warriors that served under the emperor. The Xiaolin Dragons were lead by a powerful warlord named Daishi, who was a close companion and advisor to the emperor. The Dragons were unsurpassed in the martial arts and fought many battles on behalf of the emperor.

Until the emperor was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.

Daishi - overcome with sorrow for the loss of his friend - disbanded the Dragons and exiled himself into the far provinces of his country. The code of the Dragons decreed that they could only ever serve one master for the duration of their lives. So with heavy hearts, they all went their separate ways.

One of the Dragons, Fung, decided to marry his child-hood sweetheart Oyo. They settled down and although he became a humble woodcutter, he never forgot his roots. The couple shared many years of happiness with only one regret. They never had a child. Until one day, that all changed.

***

Oyo sighed with a mixture of contentment and longing as she walked to the nearby river. On the one hand, it was a beautiful day, perfect for clothes-washing. But on the other, she wished that she could have a child. Of course Fung always said that he loved her no matter what. But still, she often watched other women with their children and felt an empty hole in her heart.

Nevertheless she set about her task with gusto, scrubbing away diligently, singing to herself. Then she saw something that made her forget all about the washing. A peach was floating down the river. A very large peach at that. She plunged into she shallows and when the fruit came close enough, she grabbed it. It was a marvelous specimen with a rich golden-red skin. It was perfectly round and not a single blemish to be found. It was very heavy, but she managed to carry the peach back to the hut as she awaited the return of her husband.

When Fung returned, she showed the fruit to him.

"Husband, look at this peach? Have you ever seen such a magnificent fruit?"

Indeed he had not.

"Where did you find it?" he asked.

"It came floating down the river. I saw it as I was washing the clothes."

"Well it seems that we shall have a fine feast tonight!" said Fung and went outside. He returned with a carving knife to cut the fruit. But just as he prepared to make the cut, the peach split into halves by itself! But there instead of a pit in the centre of the fruit, a young healthy baby boy! Granted his head was a bit rounder and out of proportion with the rest of his body and his skin had a yellowish tinge to it, yet still the old couple were overcome with joy. The heavens had finally blessed them with a child! Oyo had tears in her eyes as she cradled the infant.

They decided that they would call him Momo-Omi-Taro, which meant Peach-Head-Boy. This was partly due to his head having a startling resemblance to the fruit from which he came from.

As the years passed, it became clear that he was growing quickly and that he would be as strong and courageous as his father was.

***

"Once more my son," said Fung as he watched Omi as he leapt high and kicked the wooden training dummy in the head. That normally would have been difficult enough for a boy of nine-years, but do to his natural ability, Fung added the extra challenge of strapping a heavy pouch of grain to each of Omi's legs. Fung had taken it upon himself to train him in the way of the Xiaolin Dragon, just as Daishi had taught him. He was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Omi never questioned his instructions, nor did he complain like other young martial-art practitioners he had known. Truth be told, Omi really enjoyed his training. It was the only time when he felt like a normal person. Despite having grown, Omi's head remained slightly bigger than the rest of his body (although it never affected him physically) and his skin still appeared yellowy in hue. His mother often worried about him as it was hard for him to make friends with the other children in the nearby village as they usually avoided the strange looking child. He was able to make become friends with a little blind boy named Mala, but that is a story for another time.

***

During his eighteenth year, Momo-Oni- Taro began to have distressing nightmares.

"I heard you cry out in your sleep again last night," Fung said one morning at breakfast. "Is everything alright?"

"I have been having troubling dreams father," replied Omi after some time. "In my dreams, an monster army of iron and steel were ravaging village after village, terrorizing people, destroying their homes and burning their crops while their demon master with his pale skin and red hair watched in triumph."

Fung sat back in deep thought.

"An army of iron monsters you say?"

Omi nodded. "You've seen them?"

"Once. When I fought alongside the other Dragons with Master Daishi, we encountered several of such creatures. They were rampaging through the forest, so we needed to stop them. It took much of our skills as warriors and we lost two good men. But we defeated them and took their remains to be buried on an island in the middle of the ocean. I think that your dream was in fact a vision. A message concerning your destiny. Those iron monsters may be returning to finish what they started and in greater numbers. I think that it has been foretold that you must be the one to vanquish them before they do."

"Do you really believe that I am ready father?"

"You have excelled in your training. I believe that your skills will surpass even mine. You are ready."

So with that, Momo-Omi- Taro prepared himself for the journey ahead.

He wore a loose tunic and matching pants over a lightweight coat of chain mail armor and a broad brimmed, woven rice straw hat. This was the traditional garb of the Dragons. The martial-art of Xiaolin required easy, unrestricted movement, so armor was kept to a minimum. Oyo gave him a small package.

"These are some millet cakes for you to eat on your journey. They are food of the warriors," she told him. Then Fung presented Omi with a sword. It's scabbard bore an emblem of a jade dragon. He pulled the sword out of it's sheath and revealed a stunning black blade.

[NB: Think Soakka's sword in Avatar]

"This is Kanojo Cho - the dragon's fang. It is said that it was carved from a falling star by a mountain dragon. It served me well in battle and shall do so for you also. Wear it by your side as a tool, a symbol of your promise to oppose all evil and injustice. Remember all that I have taught you and always use your head as well as your instincts. Know that I have always been proud of you and glad of the joy that you have brought to your mother and myself!" Omi knelt before his father and accepted both sword and advice.

After thanking his parents, they bid each-other their final farewells. Then Momo-Omi-Taro, the Xiolin Dragon, set off on his journey to stop the demon general and his army of iron monstrosities…..

[Well that's part one folks with part two on the way!!!]